The pandemic is forcing the European Union (EU) and its member states to address the economic and social consequences for them. And yet, the pandemic has accelerated transformation processes of the international system which will impact the ability of the EU and its members states to manage those consequences.

The judgment on 5 May by the German Constitutional Court (Bundesverfassungsgericht or BVerfG) killed three pigeons with one stone. It ruled illegal the quantitative easing pursued by the European Central Bank (ECB), starting from 2015, with the Public Sector Purchase Programme (PSPP), casting a shadow over its current anti-pandemic programme.

Given the ravages of the coronavirus crisis, the future of Europe cannot be one of permanent division between its northern and southern states.